Paradise ponders, cold snowy morning and polyurethane edition...

Paradise ponders, cold snowy morning and polyurethane edition... Well, dang it! We got freezing rain and snow last night, with our low temperature around 29°F. Our backyard scene at right I took this morning (check the EXIF data if you don't believe me!). The dogs are loving the snow, but all our trees with their tender new leaves and buds may not. Our apple and pear trees may have lost their flower buds, which were just starting to swell. The temperature was right at the borderline for damage.

I just got done putting the first coat of polyurethane on the sun room stairs I'm building. I'm going to put four coats on the top, sanding between them. It takes three hours to dry thoroughly, so it will take me all day today to get the top done. Then tomorrow I'll flip it and do the bottom – probably just three coats on the visible sections and two on the hidden. That means most of tomorrow will be needed, too – and then Tuesday I'll install them...